Anyone cancelling July trip to London?
 

I must say I'm not sure whether it's a good idea to go through with our travel plan to London in a couple of days. Everything is paid for in advance, and tickets are non refundable as I'm sure is the case with the rental. But if anything happens to my kids...I can't even complete the thought...

>But if anything happens to my kids...I can't even complete the thought...

Assuming you are posting from US - then you should take your kids out of the school and not let them go to the university.

How many people died in the last year in terrorist attacks in the UK?

Btw.: yes, I AM going to the UK this summer (though probably later)

That's obviously a serious question you'll have to answer, taking into account various government sources, (check the State. Dept. website) but I will tell you this: Just like when the first round of deadly attacks occurred in summer 2005 in London, UK law enforcement didn't have a handle on it, (like other countries where this happens) and a second round of attempt attacks occurred two weeks later.

They don't have a handle on this situation yet, at all, they don't know who or what is behind it, and they don't know whether there are more attacks planned for central London.

With a situation like that, where they put simple deadly nail bombs in Piccadilly and Trafalgar-the heart of the tourist district-I wouldn't count out the fact that they may have more planned, and I wouldn't count on British law enforcement to necessarily thwart it ahead of time. Recent history tells us that they plan multiple attacks in London, not single.

Myself, until a terrorist situation stabilizes, I don't go-and given just the last two years in Britain-with two years of deadly and potentially very deadly attacks occuring in the summer travel season, I'd think about putting it off, because you can always go later-it will always be there-you're going to be facing a jumpy city, with law enforcement blockades in various parts of the city, additional false scares-that's no holiday to me. I gave the same advice to some people I knew in 2005, and they told me later they were glad they waited, because what I said would happen did happen-the false alarms, the new attacks-again, that's no holiday.

But you need to decide that, by doing your own personal risk analysis, taking into account the most current Govt. advice you are getting, as well as the recent history and patterns of terrorist attack in London.

I'll probably day-trip in tomorrow, though I must say I have been wavering a little bit.

No, leaving on the 16th.

Please don't cancel. Life is dangerous. No need to give "people" such as these even a tiny victory. I just booked an August flight to Europe.

I wouldn't dream of cancelling. We're going in September and will spend only a couple of days in London before going on to Ireland.

I just don't think one can change one's plans based on what MIGHT happen. These people want to make us fearful and disrupt our lives. I simply won't give in to that sort of terrorism.

My guess--as has been said many times--is that you're more likely to be injured or killed in the U.S. on the way to the airport than when you're travelling.

It's a totally different risk analysis equation when you have kids, obviously, as opposed to just yourself and another person. But the fact of the matter is, you WILL be facing false alarms, and blockades around the city as law enforcement start their sweep, and if you do go, I would stay out of the Tube, stay off public transportation as much as possible in central London.

Your kids are more likely to be shot in school in the US than be victims of terrorism in Europe.

While GST's point of a jumpy city and nervous people is a valid one, the objective danger to you and your family is far higher every time you cross a street. So many more people get killed by drunk or uncautious drivers, than by terrorists - even within areas where the terror attacks take place.$

The main goal of these people is not to kill as many people as possible - it is instilling fear and insecurity in as many people as possible. If you cancel, you are a casualty.

Altamiro-I'd have to disagree with that last point -that's PRECISELY what your law enforcement authorities have said-these bombs were intended to kill potentially hundreds of people- the greatest number of people randomly and indiscriminately.

As the previous poster said.
I don't know where you live, but London is a pretty safe city compared to some US cities.

How about being in a serious car accident on the way to the airport? I am a great believer that you only have so many days on this earth and it is already decided on by someone upstairs. So whether you are in an airplane over the Atlantic,driving on the expressway or sipping wine in Tuscany-you cannot change anything about whats going to happen to you. That said, when I am overseas everyweek for work I always check out whats going on around me and if I feel unsafe for whatever reason then I do not take public transportion or go to areas where I think that something is cooking.Life is too short anyway..........

"you cannot change anything about what's going to happen to you."

So does that mean that everyone should go merrily tripping off to Iraq or other hotspots in the world, and would you do that? Something tells me you wouldn't. That's a ridiculous statement, Dutyfree, of COURSE you can do things TO LOWER YOUR RISK OF SOMETHING BAD HAPPENING TO YOU. Do you not wear seat belts? Why do you think we have an array of aviation security measures in place, threat assessments, intelligence agencies, and travel warnings? Reinforced aircraft to be blast resistant? These things actually DO save lives!

That's why people have to do their OWN personal risk analysis, by staying informed, and taking into account their own limits on what is acceptable risk and what is not. But I wouldn't be going to London right now-that's for sure.

And one more factor: the UK has just raised its terrorist alert to CRITICAL-the highest rating. One does need to take that seriously into account when making travel plans.

Thanks to everyone for their input. I did check the US state dept website, but they have not issued anything. Most of what all of you said is valid, and precisely because of the validity of both stances - to go or to cancel - the decision is a tough one. BTW I do not live in the US, and it is midnight and time for me to go to bed. Perhaps the morning will bring with it some clarity. Thanks again and I hope for all of us to stay safe in this bizarre world.

I just got back from the UK on Sunday. When we were in London, we stayed near the St. James Park tube station. A nearby building collapsed while we were there, and for a few minutes, there was concern that it was a bomb. But the situation quickly calmed down, and life returned to normal.

Unless fear is going to ruin your vacation, logic would dictate that cancelling your plans is not called for. For some people, the fear would be reason enough, but the odds on anything happening to you while in London (which is not to be confused with Baghdad) are so small as to be incalculable.

I really despair at the trepidation of US posters (who are happy to live in a country where every other person has a gun, and massacres frequently occur in schools) to visit overseas because of the one in however many million chance of being a victim of terrorism.

I went shopping in London today. The West End was packed as usual, and no one at all was talking about the car bomb incidents. The only concern I would have as a tourist would be whether I got boiled alive on the aircon-free tube!

I gues if you read all the travel reports you would never travel.

The United States Government threat level for all domestic and international flights remains High (Orange). The country threat level and the threat level in other sectors remains at Yellow (Elevated). An elevated condition is declared when there is a significant risk of terrorist attacks. These classification decisions are based upon a number of factors including a review of the intelligence and assessment of threats. Further information on the U.S. Threat Condition designation and new security measures can be found on the U.S. Homeland Security and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Web sites.

SAFETY AND SECURITY

The decision to travel is the sole responsibility of the traveller. The traveller is also responsible for his or her own personal safety. The purpose of this Travel Report is to provide travellers up-to-date information to enable them to make well-informed decisions.

Criminal occurrences are frequent in many US cities, but are generally concentrated in areas that travellers are unlikely to visit. Travellers, however, should remain vigilant and alert to their surroundings. Full cooperation is recommended when stopped by police. Street crime can spill over into commercial, hotel, and entertainment areas. Riots occasionally occur; these are usually confined to the poorer districts of major cities, but the violence can spread to central commercial and hotel areas.

I cannot believe that the UK Govt. is JUST NOW banning vehicles from getting close to airports, and putting out their highest alert-like I say, they are always a "day late, and a dollar short" when it comes to terrorist counter-measures-they have been exceptionally lucky-and that is NOT a compliment!